Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury: An Updated Review of Current Preventive Strategies

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and often severe postoperative complication following cardiac surgery, which is associated with poor outcomes in both the short and long terms. Numerous randomized clinical trials have been conducted to investigate various strategies for prevention of cardiac surgery-associated AKI. Unfortunately, most trials conducted to date have been negative. However, encouraging results have been reported with several interventions, including preoperative implementation of oxygen delivery-directed perfusion, novel drugs such as teprasiran and amino acids. Many of these studies, however, require validation in larger, multicenter trials, before their routine use in clinical practice can be recommended.

Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Cardiac surgery; Perioperative care; Prevention; Randomized clinical trial.